In a previous story in The Sacramento Press about a "Safe Ground" encampment behind the Pedro and Gracilla Hernandez residence, Mark Merin, civil rights attorney and Safe Ground partner was not contacted. He is the owner of the property and responded to the article Thursday.

Merin explained the land dispute differently. He said "it's unfortunate" the story made it seem as if he were trying to harm the Hernandez family financially or use the homeless to bully them.

Merin explained that when he bought his property, he had been planning to use the corner lot at 13th and C streets as a law office, and the strip behind the Hernandez residence as a parking lot. It turned out that, in a rare instance, his deed and the Hernandez deed overlapped by seven feet.

Merin and Hernandez hired lawyers for the ensuing "quiet title action" lawsuit that would draw property lines to resolve the land dispute. Merin said the lawyers settled the case; the fence would be moved, and Hernandez would have a gate in the fence to access a small strip of land that was on Merin's property where Hernandez had kept his barbecue.

Merin offered to purchase the strip of property from Hernandez. As part of that deal, Merin also would have handed over a strip of his property so that Hernandez could enlarge the property behind his house. According to Merin, Hernandez refused.

To reside at the Safe Ground location, Merin required campers to be drug and alcohol free on and off the property, he said.

He added that there was one instance of a camper violating this rule, and he was ejected.